Flip-Flop? Three Years Ago, Trump Advocated Open Borders

For many of Donald Trump’s conservative defenders, it is his policies on immigration and trade, not his character, that make him the best candidate for president. From the moment he announced his unlikely White House bid in July, the real-estate billionaire has remained comparatively consistent about his hardline resistance to increased immigration and open borders, and his proposals to renegotiate free-trade deals that he argues have weakened the United States economy and sent jobs overseas. But before “Build the wall” became a rallying cry or he became the Republican nominee, Trump publicly argued for just the opposite. In a 2013 op-ed penned by Trump himself, the then-Apprentice star and up-and-coming political figure took a drastically difference position on globalization, writing that we cannot have “global unity” without open borders.

“I think we've all become aware of the fact that our cultures and economics are intertwined,” Trump wrote in the op-ed, which was published by CNN in January 2013 and surfaced by Business Insider on Wednesday. “There won't be any winners or losers as this is not a competition. It's a time for working together for the best of all involved,” he continued, in sharp contrast with his current position that globalization has hurt the U.S. in comparison to China and Mexico.

Throughout the election, the Republican standard bearer has denounced the North American Free Trade Agreement and derided his rival Hillary Clinton for her characterization of the Trans-Pacific Partnership as the “gold standard,” as well as her subsequent decision to offer tepid opposition to the trade deal. Globalization has emerged as a key electoral issue, and one that Trump has attacked in order to rally support among working-class voters. Earlier this month, the Republican’s campaign jumped on a series of leaked e-mails that included segments of Clinton’s private, paid speeches, wherein she touted the benefits of globalization. “My dream is a hemispheric common market, with open trade and open borders, some time in the future with energy that is as green and sustainable as we can get it, powering growth and opportunity for every person in the hemisphere,” one of the statements reads. But what is curious is that Trump made what is essentially a mirror argument in the years-old CNN op-ed. “My concern is that the negligence of a few will adversely affect the majority,” the Republican nominee wrote. “In this case, the solution is clear. We will have to leave borders behind and go for global unity when it comes to financial stability.”

During the third and final presidential debate on Wednesday night, Clinton and Trump are expected to battle over the future of the American economy. Facing a steep deficit in the polls, Trump needs a win, and will try to hit Clinton where it hurts: on her mixed record on trade. Clinton now has plenty of ammo in her pocket to throw back in the billionaire’s face if he tries to use it to his advantage.